Patience Pays Off, When It Comes To The Aurora

The Northern Lights abide the wishes of no one, but patience yielded quite a light show for those willing to wait it out.

As reported, the City of Reykjavík turned off the streetlights across the city for two hours last night (originally scheduled for 22:00 to 23:00, this was later extended to midnight) in order to give people a better look at the Northern Lights, which have been particularly active in recent days. An especially high level of aurora activity was predicted for last night, and many Reykjavík residents and visitors alike ventured out to try their luck.

RÚV reports that the reactions to the Northern Lights (or the lack thereof) underscores the importance of patience when it comes to catching a glimpse of them.

Öll ljós slökkt og engin norðurljós. Er þetta ekki týpískt fyrir meirihlutann í borgarstjórn og þessa trúða í ráðhúsinu??!

— Krummi (@hrafnjonsson) September 28, 2016

“All the lights are off and no Northern Lights. Isn’t that typical of the city council majority and these clowns in City Hall?”

Það eru meiri #norðurljós á suðurpólnum akkúrat núna en hér.

— Haukur Viðar (@hvalfredsson) September 28, 2016

“There are more Northern Lights at the South Pole than there are here right now.”

Þessi norðurljós mega nú alveg fara að mæta i eigið partý ? pic.twitter.com/ssIJMfmxHO

— Greta Salóme (@gretasalome) September 28, 2016

“These Northern Lights are quite welcome to their own party.”

Despite these initial misgivings, as always, patience is key when it comes to the Northern Lights. Aurora activity began to pick up shortly after 23:00, reaching its peak after 2:00 this morning.

Norðurljósin létu sjá sig #norðurljós pic.twitter.com/sMJUijuqqd

— Reykjavík (@reykjavik) September 28, 2016

Great #auroraborealis show over #Reykjavik in #Iceland tonight ! #norðurljós #ttot #aurora #northernlights #weather @wunderground rt pic.twitter.com/5iHrDi7A8q

— Iceland Photos (@dorisig) September 28, 2016